Hungary

Hungary is located halfway between Nordic Countries where forests have a dominant wood production function, and Southern European countries with an emphasised protective function of forests. When role of forests in economic development is considered, Hungary is also halfway between developing countries which rely on natural resources to a large extent, and developed countries which mostly focus on the protection and conservation of their forests. As a result of this midway position, Hungarian forest policy focuses on finding a balance between economic and protective functions of forest utilisation. However, economic role of forest is often underestimated: ordinary people or even experts emphasise the importance of environmental factors against economic issues. This general opinion indicates that direction of forest policy will turn toward a more natural management in the long run, but economic factors of forestry cannot be neglected in the forthcoming years. In private forests, conflicts between personal and public interest also have to be taken into consideration.